Metro-east gas prices about to jump, thanks to Indiana refinery problems

Gas prices will soon be going up across the Midwest, including in the metro-east, according to an oil industry expert.

Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com, said problems at a BP refinery in Whiting, Ind. will disrupt production and drive up prices 15-30 cents a gallon.

As of Wednesday morning, gas prices were as low as $2.54 a gallon at stations in Belleville.

The hike is expected to happen during the next week or so.

The problem occurred in the refinery’s largest crude distillation unit, DeHaan said. That will cut the plant’s 410,000 barrels-per-day production capacity by more than half.

There is no word about how long it will take to make repairs.

This story was originally published August 12, 2015 at 6:56 AM with the headline "Metro-east gas prices about to jump, thanks to Indiana refinery problems."